The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-26
Testing DIsinfectiOn.
No. Times-Democrat.


An excellent suggestion is that made
by a committee of the State Board of
Health to Surgeon General Hamilton, of
the United States Marine Hospital
Service. that a series of tests be made by
competent authorities of various modes
of disinfection for the purpose of de-
termining which is the best and most
practical for use in the protection of
this country from epidemic diseases. The
committee declares, with reason, that
the plan of protection formerly
pursued - mere detention. without
disinfe,tion-is a delusiOn and a
snare, a mischievOus restriction on
commerce, with no compromising bene-
fit. 1t is certainly not in accord with
the advance that science is making to-
day, a relic of past centuries, when sci
ence and sanitation had made no pro-
gress and when it was the custom to
subject the traveller to a long, rigid and
unpleasant quarantine. Nor Is there
anything to show that this system is
successful in keeping epidemic diseases
out of the country.
The committee of our State Board calls
the attention of the health authorities of
the country to the necessity of making
some advance ON system which is anti
quated, fails to profit by recent discov-
cries, and which our experience has not
indicated or approved. The committee
is firmly of the opinion that some cities
and States are trusting to a protection
against the invasion of contagious dis
ease by a system of quarantine worse
than useless, because it lulls into most
mistaken belief of safety. We suggest
that a thorough investigation into and
destruction of all such would remove an
actual source of danger"
We called attention, the other day, to
the fact that the United States has not
made as much advance in sanitation as
it should have done when the interests
at stake here are considered. Its pro-
lection from an epidemic. of which it is
always i'm danger from it's southern
neighbors as well as from portions of
Europe, means the saving of thousands
of lives; yet the amount expended on
this sanitary work is not one-thOusandth
part that given to protect the cOun-
try from foreign invasion, which does
not threaten us every year as the
cholera and fever do. When assis-
lance was asked from Congress to
study the methods practiced in Bra
iii to prevent the spread of yellow
fever by incubation, Congress was
sur IIisiISiy StiiSy. II WdS Sunny anu
parsimOnious in making arrangements
for the international sanitary congress
held in Washington at the invitation of
the government; and it has been lrudg-
ing in all appropriations for sanitary
purposes. 1t is not to be wondered at,
therefore, that the country is backward
in sanitary science, and ciings to old and
antiquated systems, oppressive yet
Ineffective; that some States should
be without any boards of health
whatever. with such guarantees only
as their city fathers can patch up.
If the suggestion of the Louisiana State
Board is adopted, it will mark an
important step forward and will at once
assure the country the hest, most effect
i've and least oppressive spstem of quar-
antine. 1t means not only better pro-
lection from the invasion of disease, but
less in terruption to commerce.
There is no possible reason or excuse
for delaying such a test. Let the sys-
tenn of disinfection in force at this port,
or in operation elsewhere. be fully tested
by an impartial, disinterested and COM
petent judge, by a direct experiment I'M
der the supervision of a skilled bacteri-
ologist. If it be shown that these sys-
tens are effective in destroying bacteria.
and thus rendering the propagation of
an infectious or contagious disease inn
possible, that mode of treatment most eff
tive, economical and thorough should be
adopted. Such n test is easily made,
and its results will be of immense I'M
portance to the whole country. The
Louisiana State Board has offered
its assistance, and it is to be hoped that
Surgeon General Hamilton will find it
possible to accept this invitation, and
see if it is not possible to lay before the
country an efficient, practical and cheap
quarantine, and one not obstructive and
oppressive to commerce.